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Primetime Diet Duo

Tufts, TV network team up to help hundreds of Bostonians lose weight.

Boston [05.01.01] While millions try new diets every year, most give up within two months. But a team of Tufts experts hopes to help hundreds of Bostonians stay on course. Beginning Thursday, Tufts and Boston's Channel 5 news team will join forces for three months to help viewers "Lose 5 With Channel 5."

"We invite you to "Lose 5 With Channel 5" -- five pounds a month for three months," Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor for WCVB, told the station's viewers. "From May through July, the Tufts School of Nutrition will provide the advice you need to be successful."

To do that, a team of six Tufts nutrition experts will work with WCVB's editors to provide health tips, advice and expert guidance to hundreds of people trying to lose weight.

Dr. Robin Kanarek, who will serve on the Tufts team of experts, told Channel 5 that many Americans don't spend enough time learning about a diet before beginning it.

"They see a... new diet in a magazine, and they decide they are going to try it without looking at it very carefully to determine if it fits their lifestyle," she told the ABC affiliate network.

To help people trying to lose weight, Tufts developed a set of key questions to help people determine if they are ready for a diet.

According to Karanak, "If you're going through something such as a job change, or a change in relationships, or if there is a lot of stress at work at this point, or you're trying to quit smoking, this may not be a good time to also think about changing your food intake."

But spring weather presents a good opportunity to establish a routine, Kanarak told Channel 5.

"It's a good time to start doing things like walking," she said. "The problem for many people is once it starts raining or snowing, it is more difficult for them to engage in regular activity."